Heir to the Shadows

"Heir To The Shadows" is the second book in Anne Bishop's extraordinary "Black Jewels Trilogy." I would advise reading the books in order, beginning with "Daughter of the Blood," to best appreciate the intricate story, characters and unique world that Ms. Bishop creates. This second part of the trilogy is a strong novel that really enhances the material in the first book.In the world where Darkness rules, an ancient prophecy becomes reality. Jaenelle Angelline is born Witch. She is the "dream made flesh" and the hope and light of the future. There is a caste system in the Realms of this world where the powerful reign and power is determined by the Jewels one wears - the darker the Jewel's color, the more powerful its owner. Saetan, the High Lord of Hell is Jaenelle's adopted father. He and his Blood allies and Kindred are determined to protect the young Witch and nurture her until her majority when she can make the Offering to the Darkness and become a true Queen. Jaenelle is now coming into womanhood and must be guarded or she will be captured and used as a pawn by Dorothea, the High Priestess of Hayll, and Hekatah, the self-proclaimed Dark Priestess of Hell. Both women were created to be noble caretakers of the Realms. They each have perverted their Craft and their purpose, infected those who serve them, and threaten to destroy the Realms to fulfill their insatiable greed for power. "Heir To The Shadows" continues the young Queen's story, taking her through the perils of adolescence. Jaenelle had been shattered by heinous crimes perpetrated at the asylum where her birth family had her institutionalized periodically, believing her to be mad. Daemon, her consort-to-be, sacrificed himself to rescue her. Jaenelle remains deeply wounded and remembers nothing of the horrors she experienced. The process of her physical and spiritual recovery is a slow one, as is her gradual acceptance of her role as Witch. "Heir To The Shadows" is also the story of the creatures sworn to protect their chosen Queen - the Warlord Princes, Black Widows, Priestesses, Kindred and Saetan.This superb fantasy, adventure, magicical romance of a novel is one of a kind. I am not a fan of science fiction or fantasy but became immediately absorbed in Book 1, and before I had completed it, I ran out to buy Book 2. Ms. Bishop's prose is beautifully crafted, and her wry wit and sense of drama are exceptional. She upends the stereotype of Darkness and shows the reader, time and again, how exquisite the Dark can be. Highly recommended!JANA

I do not like to give plot away, so I will tell you only that this book starts where the other one (Daughter of the Blood) left off. It has a few more pages but once you start reading, you will not want to stop. If you have not read any other reviews, please note that this book is the second in a trilogy and you will be hopelessly lost if you do not start at the beginning with book one. Jaenelle or Witch (Dreams made flesh) has been seriously harmed mind and body at the end of book one. Her protectors take her away to some place safe where she can heal but it literally takes years for her to get it together. After she wakes up- she is lost- her body has grown around her but her emotions have not caught up. She has endured so much with still more to come. She is forced to make choices that will change the Blood forever. I never thought I would fall in love characters with the names Saeten, Daemon, Lucivar and want to go live in a place called Hell just to meet them. (LOL) The characters are complex, rich with detail and emotion. The kindred are introduced more fully in this book as the reader is informed that there are animals, mythical and well known, that are also part of the Blood realm. Anne Bishop is excellent at character development. I have not had a book draw me in the way this one did in a very long time. It is very easy to slip into this book and feel like you are part of it. At the end of the first book, there was a point where I got chills and became quite emotionally bound to the welfare of the main character.The second book has repeated that sensation. I was so glad I orderd the last two books together so I would not have to wait to find out what happens. This is a complex book but a truly easy and delightful read for people who have been burned out on the same old formula we have been getting fed lately from the bestsellers list. I absolutely recommend it and thank the author for sharing her imagination.Stop what you are doing and go get this book. Don't walk- RUN! Then marvel at this trilogy and hold a mental vigil for a fourth book.

Daemon doesn't know what to believe when his brother accuses him of rape and murder of Jeanelle, Witch, a 12-year-old girl that he loves. He can't remember that night, only certain words that haunt him and torment him, driving him insane. It leads to him wandering the Twisted Kingdom, going deeper and deeper into it, with each step promising no return. And he knows one thing...That Jaenelle is dead.Saeton SaDiablo is the High Lord of Hell, and he has Jaenelle's body in his keep, waiting for the body to heal so he can bring the daughter of his soul back into it. So Jaenelle can be alive again. It takes two years... and he gets his chance, and brings back Witch.Jaenelle is awake again, back inside her body. She can't remember the months before she had been 'hurt' and she does not know that she was raped. She has to get use to being a 15-year-old instead of being 12--which is a hard thing to do. There are people trying to get rid of her, like Heketah, and she must survive all the attempts untill she is old enough to make the Offering, and to claim a court, and her throne.Surreal, the assassin, has been looking out for Daemon as much as possible, and is the only one that has seen him in the 8 years hes been gone. But he keeps dissappearing, and she thinks Jaenelle is dead, and Daemon has no hope.Lucivar knows he must get out of the salt mines because his dream is dead. There was no reason left for him to keep on surviving. So he decides to escape, try to commit suicide, and it brings himself face-to-face with the girl whom is Dreams Made Flesh, Witch.

I am now in my third reading of this series. That is rarity for me. Jane Eyre, the Phantom of the Opera and Night Magic are the only novels which I have read repeatedly. Several things impressed me with this series. First, judging by the covers, one would suspect this is another typical fantasy epic, light hearted with sweet little elves and bunnies. Quite the opposite. A very real sense of darkness pervaids the series. Themes such as incest, rape, bondage and discipline are handled with graceless effort. Second, descriptions are amazing. Simple one word descriptions of characters convey more than whole pages in other novels. Third, the characters are very real, very life like. None of the simpering ladies and broadchested heroes that seem to inhabit other novels exist here. Finally, the depth of story and sub-plots is amazing. You can get lost in this world. Hours fly by as pages turn. This is perhaps one of the best series I've ever read, and it is well worth reading. It is, however, not meant for younger readers. I would definitely think twice before allowing anyone younger than high school to read them. Certain sexual themes would be to difficult and embarrasing for parents or teachers to explain. If more than five stars were available, I would give them.

The story of Jaenelle, Daemon, Lucivar, and Saetan continues. The characters in this series are so amazing, so powerful, so loving, so dark, and so dangerous. In this book you'll meet even more characters that will become a part of the family, who you'll fall in love with. Where "Daughter of the Blood" focused more on Daemon's and Jaenelle's relationship, this chapter of the series will focus on Lucivar's relationship with Witch. These books are filled with such humor, power, love, loss and fear; you'll be pulled into the story and wont want it to end! The Black Jewels Trilogy is one of the best trilogies I have ever read!